


Just A Little Late

by tidal_race



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-20
Updated: 2012-10-20
Packaged: 2017-11-16 16:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/541409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tidal_race/pseuds/tidal_race
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little coda to 2X03. Jefferson and Grace reunited. Soon to be AU I'm sure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just A Little Late

**Author's Note:**

> This will all probably be AU soon, but I felt like there needed to be more to that reunion in the meantime. This hasn't seen a beta because I wrote it up quickly and wanted to post it before Sunday. This is my first time posting here, so *crosses fingers*.

When Jefferson picked Grace up, he wasn’t really thinking about where they were going. He wasn’t even thinking about the fact that they were in the middle of the sidewalk. There was too much feeling for that. Eventually though, he found his feet had taken him to an out of the way bench. He sat down, settling Grace next to him and she let go of her tight grip around his neck to look at him, but she wrapped both of her arms around one of his.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“I was…” Jefferson wasn’t sure what to say. That he’d been a coward? Because really, he had been a coward. He could say it had been because he didn’t want to ruin the new life she’d had or make her revisit the pain, but it had really been because he knew he deserved to take whatever punishment she could throw at him and he thought it might break him all over again.

“I was afraid you’d be…angry,” Jefferson finally admitted, choosing his words carefully. Hate was a word he didn’t want to introduce to his daughter, even if it had been lurking inside him for so long, threatening to take what he’d managed to hold onto of himself in the long years of separation.

“Why would I be angry?” Grace’s confusion was so genuine, so pure; it almost set him off crying again. The innocence she always seemed to carry was something he had almost forgotten could exist.

He licked his lips, the words trying to stick in his throat. “Because I didn’t come back. I made you a promise and I broke it.”

“But you did come back.” Grace wrapped her arms around him again, burying her face in his chest. “You’re here now.”

Her words gave Jefferson pause. Time in Wonderland was never quite what it seemed. Who knew how long he’d spent there in relation to Fairytale Land, and in Storybrooke, time had been frozen until Emma had crossed the city limits. Although the world went on around its borders, nobody in town aged or seemed to have any idea that it was odd they hadn’t. In a way, it was almost like repeating the same day over and over again. Sure, the seasons changed, but the people didn’t. Though everybody now knew they’d been stuck for 28 years, that time wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact for the rest of the town as it did for him. There was a difference between knowing something and living every second of it.

“I’m sorry I ever left you.” He told her, burying his nose in her soft hair again. He’d missed his little girl like a piece of him had been ripped out. Selfish motivation for wanting her back maybe, but he’d never claimed he wasn’t a selfish man. And after all, he’d desperately regretted causing her the pain of losing both parents too. He’d regretted a lot of things.

“Why did the Queen do this?” she asked. “Everybody at school is talking, but they’re all saying different things.”

“It’s complicated dear one.”

“I was so worried you weren’t here. Nobody knew who you were.”

Jefferson bit back the bitter laugh that built up at the back of his throat. He didn’t want to scare her. “That’s part of the complicated bit.”

“I’m not stupid, Papa.” She finally loosened her grip around his chest a little so she could look at him. “You can explain it to me.” Both indignation and complete faith were painted across her face. He didn’t deserve the faith, but damn if he wouldn’t try to every day for the rest of his life.

He was about to promise her he’d explain later when a group of kids ran by, in street clothes this time instead of uniforms.

“I’m late!” Grace exclaimed suddenly. “I promised I’d come home right after school!”

Jefferson took a deep breath. Of course it wasn’t that simple. Almost as if she’d read his thoughts, Grace slipped on of her hands into his.

“Come on, Papa.” She tugged him off the bench. “I just don’t want them to worry about me. They’ll understand.”

“It might not be that simple Grace.” He kneeled in front of her. “But whatever you want, that’s we’ll do. All right? I’ll make sure of it.” It killed him to say the next part, but he forced it out. “If you want to keep staying with them for now, I’ll understand.”

Grace smiled at him, shaking her head. She had the same look she’d always had right before she’d informed him he was being absolutely silly.

“All I want is you, Papa.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware that there are some people in town who would know who Jefferson is, but Grace probably didn't get a chance to talk to any of them. Henry skipped school, so he couldn't have told her, etc. She was making missing signs after all and Jefferson stated that he couldn't leave the house before Emma arrived in town.


End file.
